Month: February 2012

Sorry for the double posting this morning, I know that can become a pain when you’re trying to go back and forth in the comments section. But I wanted to get this up here, in addition to the earlier Cain stuff, because both the Cain and territorial rights stories kind of have the same theme.

It simply doesn’t sound like a resolution is coming anytime soon regarding either issue. Now I know these things change quickly; we might show up one day and find Cain signing a fresh deal. But it continues to sound like the sides are far apart, which shouldn’t be surprising at all.

I keep thinking back to a conversation I had with then managing partner Bill Neukom last season during a San Jose Giants event: The Giants are scarred by what happened with Zito and Rowand’s contracts, and don’t want to be stuck in the same situation.

It’s why they eventually were forced out of the C.C. Sabathia bidding. It’s why Cain’s situation could get sticky. Lincecum’s could, too.Continue Reading →

Moments later, team president and CEO Larry Baer was asked if the teams at least have some agreement on what fair value is: “To be determined,” Baer said. “That’s to be determined.”

Cain said he will keep out of the process once the season starts, but that doesn’t mean his agents will stop talking with the Giants. “I believe both sides would like to have something resolved (by Opening Day)” he said, “Whether that’s signing back or not.”

Cain will be a free agent at the end of the season, and could get a handful of lengthy offers if he hits the open market. Baer wouldn’t characterize the nature of the current negotiations, but the Giants have in the past said they are unlikely to hand out the kinds of lengthy deals that Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand received.Continue Reading →

Bruce Bochy all but penciled Angel Pagan, Melky Cabrera and Nate Schierholtz into the outfield on Friday, although he did remind us that he always stay open-minded with those types of decisions.

There are a few other spots where there really won’t be any surprises. Buster Posey could take the field on Opening Day with three leg braces and a wrist cast on, and I don’t think anyone would complain. Like it or not, the starting rotation is set. None of those guys will lose his job with a poor spring. Not even Zito.

But then there are the true competitions: A few guys are vying for the last spot in the bullpen and three players are taking aim at first base. And of course there are quite a few guys in the middle infield mix.

But for a moment, there’s one battle where it’s more “This Guy vs. That Guy” than any other.Continue Reading →

Shawn Sanford knew something was wrong when only his mother was able to make the trip to watch him pitch for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes in 2010.

After fighting colon cancer for 16 years, Sanford’s father, Jimmy, was nearing the end. Given just six months to live in 1996, Jimmy Sanford already had been through surgery four times and over 200 chemotherapy sessions.

There was nothing more that could be done.

“It hit me pretty hard,” said Sanford, a 13th round pick in 2009. “But I wanted both my parents there, so I carved ‘dad’ into the dirt on the pitcher’s mound.”Continue Reading →

Freddy Sanchez was here bright and early today, but wasn’t available to talk right away. “Gotta run to the trainer’s room, guys,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez spends a lot of time in that room and always has. He’s played over 150 games just once in his career and hasn’t played more than 111 since 2008. But when he’s in the lineup, Sanchez is still consistently productive — he hit .293, .292 and .289 the last three seasons.

The Giants expect Sanchez in the lineup Opening Day, and this afternoon Sanchez said he expects the same thing.

Unlike Brian Wilson, who literally has a roadmap to Opening Day, Sanchez has no timeline. They’re increasing his workload gradually, but some things still aren’t feasible. Sanchez isn’t throwing to bases yet and won’t take part in infield-outfield and relay drills this weekend.Continue Reading →

Freddy Sanchez still can’t do certain drills as he recovers from right shoulder surgery, but he said he’s right on schedule for Opening Day.

“I think it’s a lot better than we all expected,” Sanchez said of his shoulder.

Sanchez feels no pain while hitting or taking grounders, and has done plenty of both. But he’s still limited to 100-140 feet while throwing, and hasn’t yet attempted some of the off-balance throws that a second baseman needs to make. But he’s happy with where his arm is at, and said it has gotten stronger and stronger since he started throwing five days a week.Continue Reading →

At 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, Seth Rosin is hard to miss. But he’s keeping a low profile in the clubhouse.

“I’m just trying to not draw attention to myself,” Rosin said, well aware the he’s surrounded by veterans just itching to mess with youngsters. Rosin won’t be able to escape Thursday; he tweeted that he has to sing the Minnesota Gophers fight song in front of the whole team today.

For once, Rosin isn’t in command, a rarity for him. Known for his fastball command, Rosin never issued more than 16 walks in three seasons as a starter at Minnesota. That command has been there during most his two seasons in the minors, only now it might be seen out of the bullpen.Continue Reading →

Ryan Vogelsong is in rehab mode right now, and will be for a few weeks. But the Giants haven’t expressed much concern yet, and Vogelsong said he’s coming along.

(Although as some have pointed out, “A back is a back.” So keep an eye on it.)

Either way, there’s not much pressure on Vogelsong at the moment. He’s firmly entrenched in the rotation, regardless of how the next few weeks go. It wasn’t anywhere near that way a year ago, and Vogelsong spoke about that and more in today’s feature, which should be online shortly.

I particularly enjoyed his take on what he enjoyed the most last season. It wasn’t the praise, the All-Star appearance or the new contract, but rather the fact that he’s finally pitching the way he always knew he could.

“When you’re growing up you don’t see yourself struggling and getting booed and having nights where you can’t sleep because you can’t figure out what’s going on,” Vogelsong said. “To finally be helping a team and to be counted on to win big games – that’s the part that felt good.”

Some other notes from Wednesday:

— Vogelsong said contract negotiations were quick and easy and he was just trying to get what was fair. He said the feeling on both sides was mutual: “Let’s get this thing done.”Continue Reading →

Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot reported today, and as you’d guess, the LSU alums and former Chicago Cubs teammates are positioned side-by-side in the clubhouse.

A few feet down the row is Emmanuel Burriss, who isn’t concerned about the veterans jockeying for spots in the middle of the diamond. In fact, he was the first to welcome Theriot when one of the newest Giants showed up this morning.

Burriss sees himself in a different spot – a more flexible one. He has two gloves in his locker and three more in his car, and said, “I’ve got some good teammates that will let me borrow (more gloves).”Continue Reading →

Angel Villalona’s visa has been delayed because of a combination of health and weight issues.

“It’s a visa that requires they be an elite athlete,” Giants vice president of baseball operations Bobby Evans said. “He’s not in what (the U.S. consulate would) view as top physical or medical condition.”

Evans said the delay could be 24 hours or multiple weeks. He said the club is “disappointed but also hopeful.”

Villalona has not entered the U.S. since September 2009, when he was arrested and charged in a barroom shooting that left 25-year-old Mario Felix de Jesus Velete dead in La Romana.

After nearly two years of incarceration or house arrest, all charges against the slugging prospect were dropped. According to reports in the Dominican, Villalona also settled with the victim’s family to prevent a civil suit.

Major League Baseball removed Villalona from its restricted list late last year, and the Giants added him to their 40-man roster to prevent another club from plucking him away in the Rule 5 draft.

Santiago Casilla saw Villalona in January and said “he looked ok,” but Casilla added that sometimes there are issues “we’re not aware of.”